India, Nov. 8 -- I have to admit my sympathies are entirely with the young actor Imran Khan. He was issued a Leave India Notice by the Foreigners Regional Registration Office, ordering him to leave the countryfor joining a protest against the chief election commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, in Mumbai on October 10. The notice was issued on October 14 for alleged violation of the Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025.He was also threatened with cancellation of his overseas citizenship card under theCitizenship Act 1955. After he unconditionally apologised, the Mumbai High Courtpermitted him to continue to stay in India. But today, I want to examine the case that was brought against him. As far as I can tell, the Immigration and Foreigners Act does not mention participation in rallies, protests and demonstrations. The FRRO acted under Section 7(2)(c) read with Section 29. Section 7(2)(c) permits an order that a foreigner "shall not remain in India or in any specified area therein". Section 29 empowers the government to direct removal on the grounds of contraventionof any provisions of the Act or rules or"an adverse security report". Section 7(D)(e) of the Citizenship Act permits the government to cancel overseas citizenship "in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India . or in the interests of the general public." I have two points to make. First, it seemsto me the government deployed asledgehammer to tackle a rather small and footling incident. In fact, I'm not even sure it's covered by the Immigration and Foreigners Act, and I certainly don't believe protesting against the CEC threatened the integrity and sovereignty of India. My second point is, perhaps, more telling. I, and I'm sure thousands like me, have participated in public demonstrations and protests whilst we were students abroad. None of the governments concerned objected, let alone threatened to deport us. In my time at Cambridge and, even earlier when I was a school student at Stowe, I joined rallies and protests, often for the fun of it. I can remember doing so when I was as young as 17 or 18. There were many occasions at Cambridge when I would protest against university decisions. I well remember squatting on pavements outside Senate House, though what the cause was, I can no longer recollect. But I cheerfully quaffed ice-cream as I shouted slogans and felt rather good doing so. I'm not the only Indian student who joined protests in England. Many others have. No one was threatened with deportation or any other action. The best example I can think of is TariqAli in the late 1960s in Oxford. At the time,he was a Pakistani citizen in Britain. Hewas at Exeter College and became President of the Union. But he also joined protest marches outside the American Embassy in 1968 against the Vietnam War. He wasan acknowledged member of theInternational Marxist Group. Some in India would call that dimagi naxalism. 1968 was the season of protests in Europe. Britain experienced its fair share of them. Tariq Ali was at the forefront. He became a household name. Indeed, that's when he first established his reputation as a firebrand. The British government was unperturbed. Not for a moment did it consider cancelling his visa and deporting him. In fact, there'sa delightful, if apocryphal, story of how it sought to protect him. It's said TariqAli wanted to go to France to join the protests, which were even more intense in that country. He was gently advised not to, onthe grounds that the French would not beas understanding as the British. But this didn't mean that his involvement in protests in Britain diminished. If 50 years ago, the British could tolerate Tariq Ali, surely we, the world's largest democracy - indeed, the mother of democracy as we claim - could have accepted and ignored Imran Khan joining a protest against Gyanesh Kumar? It's as simple as that. Threatening to deport him and cancelling his overseas citizenship did not suggest strength or virtue. It revealed pettiness,weakness and insecurity. I believe mycountry is strong enough and large-hearted enough to permit a foreigner to join a protest. Do you agree?...